


𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 ➯ 𝚐. 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕 // 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚊 𝚘𝚗𝚎

by thai_milktea



Series: Airspace [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Motorsport RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:38:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thai_milktea/pseuds/thai_milktea
Summary: 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚑𝚎𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎.𝚊 𝚓𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝟷𝟶, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝟸𝟶.





	1. 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎

_july 2008_

rhea had just moved from her home in new zealand to her new place in king's lynn, in the uk. she had no idea what to expect, coming from a small town surrounded by open land, she was now a fish out of water in a town with small alleys and buildings everywhere. while moving her things into her new bedroom, there was a knock on the door. following her parents to open the door, there stood 3 people - a girl, who looked slightly younger than her, a boy, who looked slightly older than her, and a lady, who was presumably their mother. the girl was holding a lunchbox which was filled with cookies. everyone around her was smiling politely, making rhea do it as well.

"hello! we're the family next door, we saw that you've just moved in and decided to welcome you. i'm alison." the lady politely introduced herself, shaking hands with rhea's parents

"i'm george, and that's my sister lauren. what's your name?" the boy, who was now known as george, asked rhea. he was surprised that there was a girl his age who had just moved in next to him, but reminded himself that the world was a big place.

"i'm rhea, nice to meet you george." rhea answered, not exactly sure how else she was supposed to react to this random person greeting her.

little did they know this was the start of a lifelong friendship.

☾

_unknown time_

rhea, lauren, george, and lando, who was new to the group at the beginning, had become close friends over the course of the time they spent together. george and lando had grown up racing together, and as rhea and lauren attended all his races, the 4 became friends rather quickly.

"guys, every single cool friend group in existence had some cool name. let's have a cool name." lando proposed. george rolled his eyes but the girls agreed, so it was decided that they would have a name.

"guys, do you know harry potter?" rhea asked. she had grown up reading the books, and hoped that her friends would share the same interest as she did.

"rhea, who do you think we are? we're british schoolkids, of course we've read it!" george exclaimed, making rhea smile.

"we should be the marauders, then." rhea suggested.

"seriously? we're supposed to be original!" lauren objected.

"anyone have better ideas?" rhea asked, a knowing look on her face, which was proven correct when all her friends shook their heads.

"okay rhea is moony because her surname is literally moon. lauren, you're wormtail-"

"why am i the traitor? i don't wanna be a traitor!" 

"because you're the youngest laur, and wormtail is the smallest. plus, you have a tiny mouse nose." george reasoned.

"fine." lauren rolled her eyes, but secretly she quite liked it.

"lando, you're padfoot, because you're irritating like a dog-"

"hey!"

"and your family is rich like the blacks." 

"alright george, you win. why do you get to be prongs?" lando asked, slightly annoyed.

"because i'm the oldest and most responsible, and also the tallest."

"HEY!" the other 3 yelled in unison, annoyed that george was taking advantage of his height, again.

"settled?" george asked, knowing they probably had some disagreements.

everyone shook their heads, because they knew that george, being the genius of the four, would come up with the best possible combination.

and that, was how they became the marauders.

☾


	2. 𝚘𝚗𝚎 - 𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowercase is intended

_2008_

rhea, george and lauren had become fast friends after hanging out together a lot, in an attempt to help rhea acclimatise to the UK before the new school term. george and lauren had decided that it was about time they introduced rhea to the beauty that was british food [or that's what they thought], as they had already let her try some british candies [she loved jaffa cakes, while isla disagreed].

"alright rhea, today will forever be remembered as the day you ate your first plate of fish and chips." george told her, the trio walking down the cobbled streets of king's lynn, which they had grown used to doing.

"why is it so important anyways? it's just fish and fries." rhea questioned, earning her glares from both george and lauren.

rhea realised that she had made the grave mistake of insulting the great british dish, as well as calling chips fries. she began backing away slowly from george and lauren, but they ran after her, starting a chase in the streets, but they stopped when george realised they had reached the best fish and chips shop in town, and settled in.

"hullo george, lauren! who's this friend you've brought here today?" one of the workers at the shop, oliver, greeted them. the russell family frequented this establishment, and almost everyone who worked there knew who they were.

"hello oli! this is rhea, she's our new neighbour. she just moved from new zealand, and has never had fish and chips in her life, so we decided we might as well just let her try the best of the best." george explained.

over time, george had found himself to be doing a lot of the talking for the group, because lauren always made him do it as he was older. even with rhea around, she was rather shy and still unfamiliar with the area. not that he minded, of course, it just took getting used to.

rhea gave oliver a tiny wave, eliciting a laugh from the man.

"no need to be so afraid, rhea dear, everyone's family around here!" this made rhea crack a smile, realising she could be herself.

"so three of the regular?"

"yep, thanks oli!"

chit chat flowed easily between the children, who had grown comfortable around each other, cracking jokes non-stop. conversation usually consisted a lot about rhea - the two brits curious to know what her childhood in a different world was like, and comparing it to theirs to help her understand her new surroundings.

"three fish and chips for three lovely children, warm and fresh right here!" oliver arrived back at the table, balancing 3 plates of fish and chips before placing them down on the table.

rhea looks at the meal tentatively, not really sure where to begin.

"well, what are you waiting for, dig in!" lauren glanced at rhea, not understanding why the older girl was just staring at the plate and not quite eating.

"it's fried?" the girl questioned, to which the siblings nodded.

she recognised the fish, the chips and the coleslaw, and decided not to touch the coleslaw at all, as she disliked mayonnaise.

"i've never really eaten fried food." rhea told the duo, earning weird glances from them.

"my family are descended from the native māori people of new zealand, who believed that the earth supplied them with all they needed. being hunters, they frequently steamed, grilled of fermented their food either over open fire or in a special oven, and we just never really fried things, i guess." she explained, and the russell children nodded in understanding.

"well, just try it, you might like it." george prompted his new friend.

following in their example, she shoved some fish in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before a grin lit up her features.

"i love it."

_30 november 2018_

** _TWITTER_ **

**_gettysport:_** we're proud to announce that rhea moon will be joining the getty images sport family from 2019 onwards! she will be specialising in formula one and tennis, and we cannot wait to have her on board with us!

_thommogetty:_ congrats little moon! seeya in the paddock :D  
|_  
__rheamoon:_ seeya marko :D

_georgerussell:_ _@landonorris @laurenrussell @islamoon_ ARE YOU ALL SEEING THIS WHA-  
|_   
georgerussell:_ _@rheamoon_ moony i'm so so incredibly proud of you, you made it ❤️  
|  
rheamoon: it wouldn't have happened without you, prongs ❤️

_landonorris: _MOONY I'M SO PROUD OF YOU NOW YOU CAN TRAVEL WITH US 🎉🎉  
| _  
rheamoon: _YAS WE CAN PADFOOT, MARAUDERS ARE ON THE LOOSE BITCHESSSS

_laurenrussell: _MOONY YOU BETTER NOT BE SHITTING ME THIS BETTER BE REAL  
|_  
rheamoon: _I AM NOT SHITTING YOU WORMTAIL I PROMISE   
|_   
laurenrussell: _so freaking proud of you moony sis, love youu ❤️  
|  
_rheamoon: _love you to the moon and back ❤️

_islamoon:_ SIS I'M SO PROUD OF YOU I'M SENDING YOU ALL MY LOVE FROM HERE ❤️❤️  
| _  
rheamoon: _love you too sissy, sending all my love back at you ❤️❤️

_user:_ they literally call themselves the marauders they are goals  
|   
user 2: ikr

_view all other comments_

rhea was running around the house like a mad person, grinning like an idiot, attempting to locate george's room.

upon finding his room, she stumbles in and closes the door behind her.

"just wanted to speak to you for a sec, prongs." rhea explained, plopping next to him on his bed.

his room had changed from their childhood days - now containing a bigger bed, a race sim, and less school books. but it still felt the same - just like home.

"thank you prongs, this is all you. you know that. without you, i wouldn't even be behind a camera now." she snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, like they did all the time.

"well, you're the one that's good using a camera, it's not just me. if you were crap at what you did, you wouldn't be where you are now." this made the both of them giggle, as it was a well-known fact to never trust george behind a camera.

"should i call them?" she asked him, referring to her parents.

"they should find out from you, so yes." he told her, making her nod.

"stay with me?"

"always, moony."

**legend - ** _rhea, _ ** _papa_ ** _, _ **mama**

** _ skype call to papa moon  _ ** 🌙

_hello papa!_

rhea waved at the tiny screen of her phone, and george waved at the man he considered his second father.

** _hello dear, what's up?_ **

_i have some news, do you mind if you call mama here as well?_

papa gestured wildly, beckoning her mother over to the computer.

**alright we're all here, what's the news?**

_i'm officially part of the getty sport family, which means i get to take photos of f1 and tennis full-time now!_

her parents smiled back at her through the screen.

**we're so incredibly proud of you, iti marama, you're going to do amazing. ** _[little moon]_

_thank you, papa, mama, it means a lot coming from you guys._

** _now, go and celebrate with your friends okay? you deserve it._ **

**we miss you and love you forever, iti marama.**

_aroha ahau ki a koe ki te marama me te hoki, talk to you soon. [i love you to the moon and back]_

** _ call ended _ **

rhea turned back to george, who was sat next to her.

"can we just stay here and do a celebratory cuddle party with all the comfy things? i don't feel like doing anything else." rhea bugged him, making the boy smile back at her.

"only for you, moony."

"thank you, prongs."

_1 december 2018_

** _TWITTER_ **

**_mclaren:_** we're happy to announce that lauren russell will be joining our social media crew for the 2019 season! we promise she won't spill our secrets to williams 😂

_rheamoon:_ WORMTAIL WHY DID I NOT KNOW OF YOU APPLYING TO MCLAREN BUT CONGRATS LOVE YOU 🎉 🎉  
| _  
laurenrussell:_ because i wasn't supposed to tell you?? love you too hoe ❤️

_georgerussell:_ sister betrayed.   
|_   
rheamoon:_ i dunno if you mean that your sister betrayed you or if you're trying to sound like james charles 😂 😂  
|_   
georgerussell:_ 😑🙄   
|  
laurenrussell: love you too bro :D

_landonorris:_ was this supposed to be a surprise wormtail?  
|_   
laurenrussell:_ yep, especially for you ❤️  
| _  
landonorris:_ aHHHHH I'M SO PROUD OF YOU LAUR i love you so much okay imagine we could travel the world together and never be apart skkskskskk i love you like crazy babe ❤️❤️  
|_   
laurenrussell:_ i love you so much more ❤️  
| _  
rheamoon:_ eW padfoot and wormtail are packing on the pda let's get away prongs i don't wanna see your sis snog my friend @georgerussell  
|  
georgerussell: *piggybacks you and runs*

_user:_ the above comments thread is precisely why george and rhea need to date  
|   
user4: i am so with you on that

_view all other comments_

it was currently about ten in the morning, and george and rhea were screaming at the top of their lungs.

on the other side of england, it was also ten in the morning, and lauren and lando were screaming at the top of their lungs.

why lauren and lando weren't at king's lynn? they were in glastonbury, lando's hometown, to spend some time there before christmas in king's lynn, and before the hectic beginning to 2019 that would await the marauders.

why they were screaming? within the space of two days, both the girls have been confirmed to be travelling with f1 in some capacity, which meant that the marauders would be embarking on yet another journey together.

they grew up together, so how fitting for them to be embarking on a new adventure together?

**_the marauders _**🤠

prongs 🦌  
gUYS

moony 🌙  
wHAT

padfoot 🐾  
present 🤠

wormtail 🐀  
present 🤠

prongs🦌  
wha- okay nevermind  
WE ARE TRAVELLING THE ENTIRE CALENDAR TOGETHER NOW GUYS

padfoot 🐾  
OMG YEA JUST REALISED YAYYYY

wormtail 🐀  
OMG I'M SO HYPE

moony 🌙  
okay guys i hate to break it to you all  
but i'm doing tennis for getty too  
and i may need to skip some races to do tennis photos :(  
but other than that i should be travelling with you guys all the way :D

prongs🦌  
sad but at least you'll be there for most of it :D

wormtail 🐀  
okay moony we have a very important question for you  
every photographer on the grid has team alliances  
have you picked your team?  
choose wisely because if you pick wrongly we will all kill you 🤠

moony 🌙  
uh  
i dunno i didn't think about it actually  
but now thinking about it  
probably mclaren or williams  
if not mercedes [just a little]

padfoot 🐾  
wise choices moony  
okay we won' t kill you :D

moony 🌙  
okay the real question is  
WHEN THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS COMING BACK TO KING'S LYNN  
you better be back here for you birthday wormtail

wormtail 🐀  
yep we are :D  
the date is a surprise so you needa wait and see [even though dad and mom know the date] 🤠

prongs🦌  
aGH YOU'VE BEEN AWAY FOR TOO LONG COME BACK

wormtail 🐀  
we'll be back sooner than you think :D  
miss you lots, prongs :D

rhea smiled. this was her family. she was alone in her own room at the russell's house, as she had moved in a while ago.

she thought about her sister, who was in canada for work, and realised that they hadn't spoken in forever.

**_marama nui _**🌙

iti marama 🌙  
sissyyy  
i miss youu  
are you free?

marama nui 🌙  
yep :D  
i'll call you :)

**legend - ** _rhea, _ ** _isla, _ ** _ george _

** _ incoming skype call from marama nui  _ ** 🌙

_ISLAAAAA_  
_HOW ARE YOUUUU_

isla laughs at the antics of her sister, who she misses dearly. they were close growing up, and being apart was hard for the both of them.

** _i'm all good, work is slightly stressful as usual, but i signed up for it, didn't i?_ **  
** _okay enough about me, congrats on the getty offer!! how did mama and papa react?_ **

rhea smiles at the mention of it, because it meant so much to her that her parents were okay with it.

_they said they were proud of me. that i was going to do amazing. when was the last time they told me that?_

isla smiled back. she was extremely happy for her sister. when they were younger, isla was the obvious 'favourite child', and she knew that for rhea to get that recognition from their parents meant the world.

** _will you be coming to canada for the race? because then i'll be able to see you again for once!_ **

the sisters laughed. because of her job, rhea was constantly travelling, and she never saw her family a lot, and it was a family joke that seeing her once a year was fortunate.

_okay don't tell the marauders this, but i checked the dates for the french open and it's the same weekend as canada, so i might not be able to go. i'm already skipping wimbledon finals for the british grand prix, so i have to go for roland garros. i'm sorry._

the look on rhea's face told isla how sorry she was, but isla knew it was a part of the job.

** _it's alright, iti marama, that's your job. and i have a surprise for you, so if you don't mind please call my brother here!_ **

they laughed. isla had always called george her brother, and it never changed.

_GORG RUSSELL GET YOUR ASS TO MY ROOM NOW ISLA WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!_

_ FIRSTLY, NEVER CALL ME GORG AGAIN AND SECONDLY, I'M COMING! _

his footsteps stormed down the hallway, laughter ringing through the walls of the russell home. 'gorg' was a nickname his mum had come up with, and nobody ever let it go.

_ okay i'm here what did you want to tell me? _

** _okay i'm going to the british grand prix to watch you guys!!_ **

_OMG WHAT ISLA I'M SO EXCITEDDDD!!_

_ WHA- okay i can't wait to see you, it's been way too long! _

** _you know i'm coming for christmas, right?_ **

_ oh yea...forgot about that... _

this earned him glares from the moon sisters, which made them all break out in fits of laughter.

** _alright, i've got to go, be good, alright? george, please take care of rhea for me, okay?_ **

_ of course, isla. when am i not? _

they laughed again.

_alright, seeya soon, sissy._

they waved at each other through the screen, reluctant to end the call.

** _ call ended _ **

by this time, it was already late, having called isla at some strange hour.

"i'm tired, i'm not moving." rhea groaned, as she lay on his chest, a position they fell into naturally.

"how am i supposed to go to my room, then?"

"just stay here, not like you haven't done it before." she answered.

they talked about everything and nothing, before falling asleep in each other's arms, feeling safe because the other was there.


	3. 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 - 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowercase is intended

_2008_

12 august. also known to the moon family as isla's birthday. also known as a very important day. 

isla hated celebrating her birthday, and never understood why people made a big deal about it, so her birthday was always a small affair, with a nice dinner at home with some friends and family, and a few small presents. they usually invited isla's friends from school, but now that they were in the uk, it was no longer possible, so they invited the russells.

when rhea invited them to isla's "birthday party", she failed to realise that her family's meaning of "party" wasn't the same as everybody else's.

when george heard the word "party" he thought it would be a big birthday bash, because that's what some of his friends at school had.

so as the russell family arrived at the moon household, holding a present for isla, they were surprised to see that the house looked the same as usual, except there was the distinct smell of potatoes floating from the kitchen.

as rhea opened the door, george asked, "this isn't much of a party, is it?"

"well, it's our kind of party, which is not exactly a party for some people, but it's enough for us." she replied, a small smile gracing her features.

she welcomed them in, as ana, also known as mama, laid the table with a traditional māori boil-up as well as some traditional rēwena bread, and they all took a seat at the table in the backyard.

the food was different to what the english family was used to, but to them, it tasted amazing, not that much different from the food they were used to, to their surprise. after all, modern māori cuisine is heavily inspired by old english cuisine they had brought over from europe.

talk flowed easily between everyone at the table, the kids talking among themselves and the adults engaged in "adult talk", sometimes asking isla questions like "how does it feel like to be 14?". 

and although the food was being finished up, the laughter and chatter never stopped, because they were all family. and as they moved towards the living room, presents were handed out.

the russells had given her a new backpack for the school year. rhea had secretly told them that isla's original schoolbag had gotten a hole in it while moving and they decided to get her a new one. 

mama and papa gave her a new phone, her first. they decided that she was old and independent enough to have one and decided to give it to her for her birthday. 

finally, rhea handed over her gift. it was a notebook with a handmade cover. inside it contained photos from their childhood, of isla with her childhood friends, family, in new zealand. rhea had asked isla's friends to email photos over, printing them out and completing the photo album at george's place so the surprise wouldn't get ruined.

"thank you guys so much, this is the best birthday ever. i thought it would be terrible since i'm no longer in new zealand, but i think it's going to be good here, and it's just the beginning." isla smiled. she didn't expect any of this. she was absolutely over the moon and couldn't wish for any other way to celebrate her birthday. although she missed her kiwi friends like crazy, she knew they would be with her in her heart forever, and she would get probably a bunch of birthday emails while she was asleep and their day began.

as they prepared to go to bed, isla pulled rhea into a hug. 

"kia ora iti marama, i aroha nui ahau ki a koe." _[thank you so much little moon, i love you so much]_

_15 december 2018_

today was none other than lauren's birthday, and lando, george, rhea and isla had camped out in george's room the night before to discuss their surprise. she was turning 19, after all. 

the plan was for lando to distract lauren by having them go out for a day together, while george, rhea, isla, mum and dad would clean the house, decorate the living room and backyard, cook dinner, and bake a cake. mum and rhea would be in charge of decorating, while george and isla did the cooking, and rhea and isla would bake and decorate the cake at the end of it all. about dad...he would just be wherever he was needed. 

"morning moony, it's surprise day!" george was a early bird, which rhea would never be able to deal with. she had no idea how on earth he was so energetic at 7 in the bloody morning. in her personal opinion, if you were on break you were allowed to wake up at noon. not with george.

"damn prongs, you're never gonna let me sleep in are you?" rhea grumbled. he may be her best friend, but that didn't mean that she enjoyed being woken by him at 7am.

"you slept until 10am yesterday, pretty sure that was sleeping in!" he whisper-yelled, not wanting to wake the rest of the house up. "after all, we're in charge of the shopping run and we need to get everything into the unused kitchen cupboards before wormtail leaves her room and seese it." 

"fine, fine. you win today, but not tomorrow. i am so sleeping until noon tomorrow." she huffed, hauling herself out of bed.

"noon, are you nuts?" he questioned her, making her roll her eyes in response.

"well, not everyone enjoys waking up at seven in the bloody morning, george." she then went off to get dressed for the day, getting into a comfortable long-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, and her jacket.

soon after, they jumped into george's mercedes amg, on their way to their first stop - the supermarket.

this was the first time rhea had left the house without her camera(s) in months, and you could visibly see how uncomfortable it made her. but she knew it wouldn't be practical for shopping, and decided against it. she would fiddle with her fingers, itching to do something, until george took a hold of her hands, with his other hand on the steering wheel, calming her down.

as they arrived at the supermarket, they hastily grabbed everything they needed for dinner and the cake. rhea was a hurried mess, while george still had some semblance of sanity, looking at his list once in a while to check that everything they needed was there, and that rhea, in her hazy morning state, had not dumped anything unnecessary into the basket. 

after their supermarket run, it was off to the party supplies store, to buy a few things to decorate the house with, even though they had most of the things at home already, after so many parties held by the family.

as soon as that was over, they drove off to the bakery, grabbing some bread for breakfast, before heading off to the local fish and chips place to pack some food for lunch, so they didn't need to cook while preparing the surprise. 

after all that was said and done, they drove home. the biggest challenge was getting everything to the kitchen and fridge and packing it without drawing attention to themselves so lauren would not notice anything. 

thankfully, when they parked the car in the garage, isla was waiting in the garage to help them hide everything in the kitchen. when they reached home, it was 7.45am, and they finished it up by 8am, when lauren usually gets up. isla, george and rhea then retreat to their rooms before they were noticed by lauren.

_ **wormtail's surprise 🐀** _

prongs 🦌  
shopping secure in kitchen and fridge. lauren should be waking up any minute now.

mum ❤️  
alright you guys can go back to sleep, everyone up by 9am.

"can we sleep until nine? i'm tired after staying up a little late to plan all this." rhea nudged him, glancing at him expectantly.

"sure, i'm a little tired as well."

they snuggled below the covers, falling asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

while the rest of the household was stressing over preparations for lauren's birthday, she and lando had a beautiful day out around her hometown, the smile never leaving their faces, because they loved being in each other's company. 

_ **wormtail's surprise 🐀** _

padfoot 🐾  
we will be back in 15 minutes or so, prepare yourselves :D

moony 🌙  
SHIT SHIT SHIT CAN YOU DRAG IT OUT A LITTLE MORE WE AREN'T READY OR AT LEAST I'M NOT BECAUSE THIS CAKE IS NOT COOPERATING AT ALL 

marama nui 🌙  
YES THIS CAKE IS NOT WORKING NOTHING IS BAKING OR STAYING ON AND IT LOOKS AND TASTES LIKE A DISASTER PLEASE DISTRACT HER FOR A LITTLE LONGER THANK YOU

prongs🦌  
OKAY I AM HELPING YOU GUYS MUMMMM GET HERE WE NEED HELP

mum ❤️  
I'M COMING ALL OF US CALM DOWN

dad ❤️  
I'M COMING TO HELP ALL OF YOU NOW I DON'T CARE 

prongs🦌  
DAD PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS WORSE

padfoot 🐾  
alright i'll give you guys an hour 😂

panic ruled the household for the next hour - everything except the cake was ready, but they still needed to clean up and lay the table.

"OKAY THE CAKE IS DONE INTO THE FRIDGE NOW NOW NOW OKAY DAD SET THE TABLE PLEASE MUM CHECK WHETHER THEY ARE COMING EVERYONE ELSE WE ARE CLEANING UP THE KITCHEN. PLEASE TAKE TURNS TO USE THE TOILET AND LOOK PRESENTABLE THIS IS A BIRTHDAY PARTY OKAY WE WILL NOT LOOK LIKE WE JUST CAME FROM THE SEWERS OKAY ISLA YOU USE THE TOILET FIRST FOLLOWED BY MUM AND DAD AND GEORGE THEN ME. OKAY EVERYONE DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW!" rhea directed everyone. her brain was in panic mode because she wanted this to be perfect for lauren, who was her little sister and best girlfriend. as she began washing all the used cutlery, george began wiping down the counters while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"moony, please calm down, you need to breathe before your asthma comes up again okay? breathe, wormtail will love this, okay? this will all work out how you want it to, you got this. i'm right here okay? breathe." he soothed her, hoping desperately that she would take a breath because he didn't want her to get an asthma attack right before the party.

she began to take deep breaths, following his breathing, because she knew he was right. once she had calmed down, she carried on with what she was doing, albeit a lot more calmly. soon enough, everything was ready for the surprise party, and the trio plus dad collapsed on the couch, while mum kept watch for lando's bright orange mclaren [which was obvious enough, clearly].

rhea let out a sigh of relief, before jumping up on her feet and running to her room to get her cameras, making sure the film was full and everything was working. so many moments over the years had been captured with rhea behind the lens, and this was no exception. as she arrived back down on the ground floor, the revs of the mclaren filled the air.

"positions nowwwww!!" isla whisper-yelled, not wanting lauren to suspect anything. she knew she had to do the reminders after her sister entered 'super focused photographer mode', because she would be so focused on getting the perfect shot, everything else happening was just in her peripheral vision. 

the front door creaks open. lauren steps into unlit living room with lando and mild confusion overtakes her features. 

"where on earth is everybody?" lauren was baffled. not a single person was out and about this morning when she left the house with lando, and now the house was eerily quiet. on a regular day, george would be up with a sleepy rhea eating breakfast, while mum would be in the kitchen working her magic. 

what was so special about today?

george clicks the switch on the fairy lights, illuminating the room in a warm glow, leading her to the kitchen counter island, where a happy birthday card waited for her. lauren gasps, suddenly remembering it's her birthday. she continues to follow the trail of lights, until she arrives at the dining table, decorated with unscented candles [to prevent rhea from sneezing like a maniac] and laid out cutlery. throughout this, lando attempts to subtly make his footsteps slightly louder, to cover up the 'click, click, click' of rhea's camera(s).

as soon as she takes a seat at the table, lando next to her, the lights flicker on, and the family reveal themselves. lauren can't believe her eyes, they did all this for her?

rhea walks up to lauren and engulfs her in a big bear hug, one shortie to another. she had already ditched her cameras, not wanting them to be dirtied by the food that was being brought out by mum. george had come up with the genius idea of keeping all the food they had cooked in the switched-off oven, which would still keep the food warm but not cook it, and lauren wouldn't notice.

isla goes up to her next, giving her a hug as well. being the 'big sister' of the group, she was extremely protective of all of them and loved them all immensely, whether they were related by blood or otherwise.

george goes to hug his sister, kissing her forehead. he was always so immensely proud and happy for her, and this was one of those moments he let himself be a little bit of an emo kid.

mum and dad give her hugs as well, and they all sit down at the table to dig in to the delicious food. smiles and laughter were seen and heard all around the table, filling the house with warmth, filling their hearts with warmth, because they were home.

after all the plates were empty, rhea headed into the kitchen to get lauren's carrot cake from the fridge. lauren wasn't exactly a cake person, but she loved carrot cake.

the cameras came out again as lauren lit her candles. everyone sang the birthday song before she made a wish and blew her candles out. slices of cake were handed out before everyone headed to the living room and they spent the night talking about the past, present and future.

because they knew they would be together like forever.


	4. 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 - 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowercase is intended

_24 december 2018_

christmas eve was one of the only days that the russell home was eerily silent. everyone was doing their gift preparations, which usually meant they weren't home or were locked up in their own rooms, to keep everything a surprise.

rhea had gotten out of bed early (for once) and by 8am, was out on her bike - with rolls of undeveloped film - to her alma mater. why to school, you ask? it was the home of her first (and favourite) dark room, and it was near home as well.

stepping into the eerily quiet school hallways, she walked to the far end of the campus, where the dark room awaited her.

she worked silently on her own, concentrating on getting everything perfect. she seldom used the dark room, and was slightly rusty. it didn't help that george wasn't in the room with her like he usually was (for moral support only because he would mess up), the silence almost suffocating her.

just then, the door creaked open, revealing mr langdon, her photography teacher who had mentored her until she graduated. he left the dark room open for any students who wanted to come back for the holidays, and even though she had previously graduated, she was still a regular visitor.

"last minute christmas gifts?" he raised an eyebrow, barely visible in the low lighting.

"and you know it. these rolls have been sitting for almost a year now, had to get them developed at some point, didn't i?" she laughed, the noise filling the empty quiet.

"i mean, i come to expect it since you give then the same thing basically every year..."

"stoppp i feel so attackedddd. don't judge me for my lame presents they take a whole year to create. george is probably just buying me film again, as usual." she rolled her eyes, but giggled. george always gave her film because it was "practical".

she continued in silence, with him helping her. they were used to working together since he mentored her, him correcting her when she made a mistake, because even though she was one of his best students, she wasn't perfect, especially when it came to this.

eventually she had developed all the film, and ended up with piles of photographs. i mean, that's what she got for developing that many rolls of film at once. placing it all carefully into her bag before placing it into the basket of the bike, she eventually made her way home.

heading back to her room, she took out her notebooks. calligraphing each family member's name onto the cover, together with the subtitle '2018 memories', she selected photographs, which she then arranged within the notebook like a collage journal.

she had plenty of photos of her friends, but most of the photos were actually of them on track. getty sport had asked her to photograph f2 last year to evaluate her abilities before promoting her up to f1, and she had plenty of photos of her friends from around the race track.

for her sister, she didn't have many photos because the duo lived apart most of the year, and rhea placed the few photos that she had of her sister into the notebook. to compensate, she found old photos of the siblings and made memes out of them, because looking back at childhood photos is funny.

after finishing up the photo collages, she wrote a note to each person in the notebook, recounting the year that they shared together.

she eventually ended up with 8 notebooks - one each for george, lando, isla, lauren, alex and jack, plus 2 for her 4 parents, who shared 1 per pair.

by the time she was done, it was late into the night, and she had barely eaten at all, only eating a few snacks a concerned isla had brought up to her room.

as she was about to head into the kitchen, she saw her phone ringing.

**legend - ** _rhea, _ ** _papa_ **

** _incoming call from papa moon _ ** 🌙

_papa? what's the matter? have you arrived at heathrow yet?_

papa and mama were due to arrive at heathrow that night, just in time for christmas. the flight was long, and nobody was too worried to not receive a message from them, assuming they were on the plane.

_ **iti** _ _ _ _ **marama** _ _ **, we hate to spoil the christmas festivities but our flight got delayed and we're stuck in singapore until the plane comes, and even then we're probably going to miss christmas.** _

rhea sighed. she had never spent christmas without her parents before and it felt different, like christmas had lost its sparkle.

_it's not your fault, papa. i'__ll__ tell them the news, and we'__ll__ save some christmas turkey for you. it won't be the same without you guys, but we can't do anything about it. try to rest at the airport, okay?_ _aroha ahau ki a koe ki te marama me te __hoki__, see you soon. [i love you to the moon and back]_

_ **aroha** _ _ _ _ **ahau** _ _ _ _ **ki** _ _ ** a ** _ _ **koe** _ _ _ _ **ki** _ _ _ _ **te** _ _ _ _ **marama** _ _ ** ma ** _ _ **te** _ _ _ _ **hoki** _ _ **, see you soon, ** _ _ **iti** _ _ _ _ **marama** _ _ **.** _

_ ** call ended ** _

_**russell + moon + lando**_ 🤠

moony🌙  
mama and papa are stuck in singapore since their flight is delayed, and will be missing christmas :"

marama nui🌙  
nooooooooooo whyyyyyyy  
dumb airplanes 😤

mum ❤  
well, we'll just save some turkey and their presents for them, i guess

prongs 🦌  
moony, my room now

padfoot 🐾  
SHIP

moony🌙  
😑

prongs 🦌  
🙄

rhea headed over to george's room, with no idea why he asked her to go over.

"heyo prongs, what's up?" rhea peeped into the room.

he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants, but for the two of them it was normal, because they had basically grew up seeing each other naked (on accident, i must emphasise).

"you're an open book, moony-"

"only to you."

"whatever. but i know you feel terrible about mama and papa not being here. thought you wouldn't want to spend the night alone." george knew that rhea hated being away from her parents, and she barely got to see them already. she wouldn't have taken the news well, and it was his job as her best friend to take care of her.

he pulled her into his chest, and they just enjoyed the other's presence for a moment, feeling so extremely lucky to have the other with them.

rhea couldn't lie, the fact that he knew and cared made her heart flutter, just a little. it didn't help that he basically wasn't wearing a shirt either. _rhea moon, for goodness sake, he's your best friend._

she crawled under the covers, waiting for george to join her. as he wiggled under the covers, his warmth radiated from him, making her feel fuzzy and warm, inside and out.

as she snuggled up to him, legs tangling with his and arms attempting to wrap around him, his heart beat a little faster. she looked so beautiful, even though her hair was a mess and she'd been wearing the same clothes since she came back home. _george, stop. she's your best friend, seriously._

she melted into his warmth.

"thank you for caring. you have no idea how much it means to me."

he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"always, moony. sleep tight."

"don't let the dementors get to ya, prongs." they giggled. this was what they told each other when they were young, before they went to bed.

that night, rhea had the best sleep she had had in a long time, and so did george.

_25 december 2018_

"merry christmas, love," george whispered into her ear, making her awake from her light slumber. she loved his morning voice, in a weird way - his accent was stronger, and to her, it was cute.

on the other hand, she was slightly shocked. he had never called her that before, and she had known him for ten years or more. why now?

he cursed mentally as the word left his mouth. _freaking hell george, she's your best friend, don't screw it up like this. _he sighed, hoping that she didn't think too much about it.

"merry christmas, georgie," she whisperd back. her soft, light morning voice - not too different from her normal one - sent shivers of warmth down his spine. he loved it when she did that. but not when she called him georgie - an nickname she came up with when she was younger to annoy him.

"you said you would stop calling me that," he pouted.

"i didn't promise though," she giggled, making a smile light up both of their features. he loved her laugh.

she tried to drag him out of bed as she got out of bed, but to no avail, obviously.

"get up, georgie, it's mum's christmas breakfast!" george rolled his eyes, but inside he loved her christmas morning antics. she was like a child on christmas day, and over the years, he began to expect no different from her. this year, however, he could see it in her eyes that she wasn't enjoying herself as much as usual, and he knew why.

it was then that he realised that she was wearing one of his hoodies with a pair of her own shorts. the hoodie was basically a dress for her, with him being so much taller than her. not that he was complaining, because - in his eyes - it looked better on her.

"you're wearing my hoodie?"

"it's comfortable and my hoodies are in the wash!" she giggled.

"fine, you can keep it then," he smiled.

did he mention he loved everything about her? everything she did, no matter what she looked like, made his heart beat a little faster, made him smile a little wider. only she could do that to him, no one else on earth. _he was so in love with rhea moon, but she would never know._

as everyone began to trickle down into the dining hall for breakfast, mum began bringing out the food, and the the smell of the traditional christmas breakfast wafted through the house, which had evolved over the years to include both maori and british cuisine.

as usual, rhea and george were the first of the kids downstairs. isla greeted them with a hug and kiss on the forehead, before taking her place at the table. lando and lauren came down the stairs singing a bad rendition of jingle bells (or some christmas song, nobody could tell), sending the house into raptures of laughter at their stupid antics. they chatted over their meal, discussing what was to come in the next year. the food was very quickly finished and everyone went back upstairs to prepare for the rest of the day.

as rhea had finished washing up, she waited downstairs with george for the rest of the family to come down. just then, the doorbell rang, and they knew who it was.

"i'll get it!" they shouted simultaneously, running towards the door. of course, george got there first, turning the lock in the door, revealing the person who stood behind.

"ALEX!" rhea went up to hug him. she had not seen him since the end of the f2 season in abu dhabi and missed him greatly.

alex had grown up with the russell-moon family (they had basically combined after a while) and george and rhea were always in the albon household. since alex's family didn't celebrate christmas, he was invited to spend it with them and he came every year.

they dragged him over to the living room before they all sat down on the carpeted floor, where the rest of the family sat, and 'merry christmas' and 'hello' and 'we've missed you' were exchanged. george silently whispered to alex about mama and papa's absence, and he nodded in understanding, knowing rhea wouldn't want to hear about it.

"presents time! i'll start first, as usual," isla rolled her eyes. from a young age, the group of them had decided that the order that presents were given out in was from oldest to youngest, followed by parents. with isla being the oldest among the group, she was always first, much to her dislike.

she had bought everyone something from canada, which was expected, she worked there after all. mum and dad got maple syrup, lando got a dumb moose hat, lauren got a beanie, alex got jam (for his mum, according to isla), george got a jumper and rhea got a notebook. they all had cards with their gifts, while rhea didn't, so she opened the notebook to take a look.

_iti marama, _   
_it's so hard being so far away from you, and it's so hard when i can barely call you because you're fast asleep somewhere around the world while i'm having my dinner here. know that i will always love you, no matter where life takes us, and know that i'm always just one call away when you need me, because i'll always be here for you. nothing on this earth can tear me away from you, that i will promise. forever._   
_ _aroha ahau ki a koe ki te marama me te _ _ _ _hoki_ _ _._   
_marama nui ❤_

the sisters shared a smile, because actions speak louder than words.

next, alex gave them all some stuff he'd made at home (probably with the help of his sisters). he wasn't really there to celebrate christmas, and mostly just there to be with his friends. he didn't really celebrate christmas, after all. but they all appreciated how he was still taking some time to make something for them, even though he said it was just to take him mind off driving an f1 car for the first time in march (but nobody believed him anyways).

then followed george. he bought lauren some cool camera attachment for her phone (she was joining mclaren as a social media manager after all), while lando got a new powerbank (because he kept using his phone all the time and it kept going flat). alex got new shoes (because he always wore the same shoes, according to his friends), while isla got a down jacket to survive the freezing canadian winter. he bought his parents a new frying pan because he had ruined one after burning some food, and finally, passed a wrapped package to rhea. (i must also add that all the packages are wrapped for george's sake, because he isn't THAT biased.)

she slowly opened her package up, revealing not just a roll of film, but a card and a cardboard box containing the photo printer she had been saving up for. she opened up the card to take a look.

_dearest moony,_   
_merry christmas! i hope you have the most wonderful day, because you love christmas so much. if you're wondering why i got something else besides film this year, it's just to celebrate us finally achieving our childhood dreams together. i'm so incredibly proud of you and i'm sure this will be helpful. i may or may not have "hacked" your phone to look at your wishlist...and so i got you this. just know that no matter what, i'll be here for you, never doubt that. i'm so excited to start this new crazy journey together with you, and i know that we wouldn't have it any other way. _   
_forever, _   
_prongs_

"thank you, george." she tells him, her voice barely louder than a whisper, making sure only he could hear her, leaning into him, her head against his shoulder, his arm around her.

"always, moony." he smiles back, before snapping out of their moment before anyone (ahem, lando) could notice and make fun of them for it, but still snuggled into each other (for warmth, apparently).

"my turn!" rhea smiled, passing out the notebooks she had personalised for them. they all took time flipping through the photos she had selected for each of them, smiling at the memory and laughing at the number of unglams she had put in.

the notebooks were passed around to show everyone the things and the lengths that rhea had gone to in order to embarrass all of them. they always appreciated the scrapbooks though, and they had kept them every year ever since rhea started making them.

"FINALLY MY TURNNNN!" lauren exclaimed. she loved christmas almost as much as rhea, and her choice in gifts was usually impeccable. she had gotten valentino rossi merch for both lando and alex - who were still fanboys after all these years - and isla had gotten a beanie (there's clearly a theme here about isla getting winter clothing). she gave george a model of an old williams f1 car to add to his collection, because he is obsessed with f1 history and was now joining williams. rhea got a new lens, which made her freak out because she hadn't gotten it yet and almost forgot to get it for the new season, so her butt basically got saved. she passed her parents a pair of new oven mitts, because - like her older brother with the frying pan - she had ruined them while cooking and decided to get them a new one.

"and now, my stuff. sorry if it sucks." lando said. this caused the family to break out into fits of laughter, because his gift-giving skills weren't exactly the greatest, let's put it that way. he gave lauren new earrings (because always the best for your girlfriend, right?) which she saw once and was obsessed with. george got new socks (don't question it, just don't) and alex got a hoodie. isla got gloves (winter clothes,,, again,,) and rhea got extra polaroid film (because lando had no idea what he was gonna get her). 

once all the presents were given out, the dinner preparations began (lunch would consist of breakfast leftovers plus some stolen dinner stuff). everyone had to work doubly hard this year, with the absence of the moon parents, who did a lot of cooking usually. rhea and isla had to take on the dishes they usually cooked, while george, lauren, lando and alex helped mum with the turkey and shepherd's pie. dad was told to do anything besides being in the kitchen, as dad in the kitchen was (and is) a recipe for disaster.

☾

with all the preparations finally complete, it was time for the exhausted bunch to tuck into the dinner they had put together on their own.

dinner was filled with laughs and giggles, talking about the dumb things they'd done that year, things they were grateful for, and looking forward, as always.

it soon came to an end, too quickly for everyone's liking - although almost three full hours had passed. 

alex drove himself home, even though the offer of staying was on the table, due to wanting to be home with his family. the rest of the household soon began to settle in for the night - showers were taken, lights were switched off, phones put away, and covers lifted and replaced.

rhea had opted to stay with george once again, not that any of them complained. they enjoyed each other's company, the warmth of the other's body comforting them, protecting them from the somewhat cold english winter. 

however, she was restless, not being able to fall asleep even after a few hours, although she was absolutely exhausted from the day's activities. she knew that mama and papa would be home anytime, and the excitement of wanting to finally see them was permeated by anxiety that they were still unable to make it to the uk. they had not contacted anyone for a day, and it set rhea on edge. 

not wanting to disturb her sleeping friend, she crept out of bed, phone in hand, disappearing downstairs to the living room, setting herself on the couch to pass the time and hopefully fall asleep.

it didn't take long to george to realise she was missing though. in his sleepy state, he turned to face the other side of the bed, only to be met with the uncovered duvet where rhea once was. having a rough idea of what she was up to and why, he slipped downstairs to the living room, skipping the creaky steps to make sure everyone else stayed asleep. 

"thinking about mama and papa?" he whispered, collapsing next to her on the couch.

"how'd you guess?" she smiled. only he would notice these things, making her heart soar - just a little.

"you're so tense, just like before the race. everyone can see your nerves, dumbass." he smiled back - her smile was contagious. "hot chocolate? it might put you to sleep." he asked.

"only if you make it," she giggled softly, "your hot chocolate is the best in the world."

he went to the kitchen, while rhea sat on the couch, watching as he prepared 2 mugs of his famous hot chocolate - mum's recipe, according to him. she admired how he was so sure of his actions, even making hot chocolate. 

he brought the mugs out to the living room, handing one to her while she snuggled up to him on the couch, slowly sipping on the hot drink. the duo sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company, because it was more than enough for them to feel safe, to feel home.

it wasn't long before she fell asleep in his arms, not even finishing her midnight drink. leaving the mugs to be cleared the next day, he carried her back up to his room, tucking her into bed, making sure she stayed fast asleep. he then joined her under the covers, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"don't let the dementors get to ya moony, sleep tight," he whispered, switching the lamp back off.

☾

the next morning, rhea awoke to the sight of mama and papa in the living room, ready to spend the rest of the winter holidays with their family, their whānau. _[family]_


	5. 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 - 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛'𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚢

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lowercase is intended

_2008_

it was the moon family's first new year's celebrations in england, and they were massively grateful for the russell family, especially in new situations like these. they weren't used to big parties with fireworks on the day, usually only having a nice dinner and staying up till the clock struck twelve. they told the moons everything that would happen, from concerts in the town to the kind of celebrations that would take place, but they only stayed up to watch the fireworks.

the kids had spent the whole night running about in the front yard of the two houses, the fence between the houses removed some time ago to give them more space to play.

now, they lay on the grass, looking at the stars, taking in the last minutes before the new year. the silence was comfortable, nothing really needed to be said. it was felt by everyone in that moment - the gratitude they had for each other, and how much simple moments like these would mean. they knew 2008 was not an easy year, but 2009 would present its own challenges and learning opportunities.

rhea shivered in the wintry air, not being used to having winter in december instead of june. she'd barely gotten any sunlight that year, moving from the new zealand winter into the british autumn, and she was craving the spring.

"come here, ree, you're freezing," george touched her hand, being shocked by the chill it sent through his body. she moved closer to him, and he placed his spare jacket as a blanket over her body. they cuddled up against each other, the warmth returning to her body quite quickly.

the silence was interrupted by the shouts of the town, counting down to the new year, and the children joined in, excited for the fireworks (mostly).

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

all was quiet besides the sound of fireworks crackling in the night skies, the children taking in the moment, watching the bursts of colours overtake the navy blue, watching the stars give way to the brighter colours.

the sound scared rhea a little - she'd never heard anything like it in her life, and it was even louder than the kart track when she went to see george. cuddling into his side to muffle the noise a little, she looked back up into the brightly lit tapestry of the night. 

from the corner of her eye, she spotted a white streak of light - a shooting star? she looked again to make sure her eyes didn't decieve her, and it was no illusion. it felt special, being the first shooting star she'd seen in england - reminding her of all the times she and isla would just lay in the fields and look into the pitch dark night, counting stars, spotting constellations, making wishes.

"shooting star, make a wish!" she told her friends, squeezing her eyes shut to make a wish, her friends following suit.

_i hope that this is the best year ever, that we will all be happy._

_i hope that we will all be safe and have fun._

_i hope that i'll be able to spend time with my friends._

_i hope that we will be kept safe, that we will all be happy, that it will be a year of growth and fun._

"georgie?" she whispered into his ear.

"hmm?" he raised his eyebrow, curious to what she had to say.

"what did you wish for?" she asked, making him smile.

"if i told you, ree, it wouldn't come true," he whispered back, eliciting a giggle from her lips.

"alright, don't tell me, so it'll come true."

_31 december 2018_

the marauders, together with isla, were now at their regular new year's day spot, a field a short cycle away from home. they'd found the field when they were out exploring as kids, and as soon as they were old enough, they would pack a picnic to snack on and go stargazing to welcome the new year.

blankets were rolled out and snacks were distributed as the group lay on their backs to watch the stars as they always did.

"you think we'll see a shooting star this year?" lauren enquired, munching on some cookies.

"moony's spotted one every year so it's bound to happen," george replied, settling down onto the blankets. 

lando abruptly sat up, pouring himself a glass of milk to drink, making everyone else sigh. he couldn't live without milk for some absurd reason, and the rest of them had come to expect nothing less from the young brit. as he sat up to drink, he obscured the view of lauren, who lay next to him, earning him a nudge which almost made him spill the milk in his cup.

"oi! you almost got milk on me!" he huffed, making the rest of them laugh.

"well, just lie down and enjoy the moment, you can drink your milk later!" lauren rolled her eyes and sighed, taking the cup out of his hands and putting it aside before shoving him down onto the blankets.

rhea lay in the gap between the two blankets, sandwiched between george and isla. although the others opted for blankets, she loved the feeling of just lying on the grass just like she did as a kid - it made her feel closer to nature and reminded her new zealand. taking her polaroid camera from beside her and directing it towards george, she shot a side profile of his face in the dark, making it a silhouette, the outline of his smile and messy hair showing as she passed the developed photograph to him. she then pointed the camera at the night sky, taking her photo before putting the camera down. she tried not to take too many photos in magical moments like this, just wanting to live in the moment for a while. one of her hands found isla's, and she held onto her sister's hand, while the other fiddled around with the grass beneath her, while she leaned into george's warmth.

just then, a streak of white entered her vision, and she knew exactly what it was, like an old friend coming to visit.

"shooting star, make a wish guys," she said, a smile creeping onto her features as her eyes fluttered shut to make a wish.

_i hope i will always be able to be surrounded by the people i love and my family._

_i hope that as we travel the world, we will be safe and we will live life to the fullest._

_i hope that we'll have many new experiences and discover the world._

_i hope that even when we're miles apart, we'll always just be one text, one call away._

_i hope that we'll do our best in everything that we do and have no regrets._

the shouts of the town roaring dragged them back into reality, making them realise that the new year was now so close. they let the noise carry them into the new year, not joining it, just absorbing everything in their surroundings.

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

rhea made a move for the polaroid camera, made a singular snap of the fireworks and put it down again. she wanted memories, but she wanted to live in the moment they were in. 

lando and lauren shared the cliché new year's kiss, making isla shift slightly closer to rhea, causing the group to laugh. there was nothing better than being together as a family, but lauren and lando were sometimes sickeningly sweet.

"happy new year moony," george whispered into her ear, making her smile.

"happy new year prong," she whispered in reply, her warm breath brushing over his ear as she spoke, sending shivers down his spine - good ones.

even under two jackets, messy hair, slighly wrinkled jeans, and lying on the grass, he thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever met. she was like an angel - there when he needed her the most, watching after him, giving him advice, keeping him safe. he couldn't imagine a life without her, and everyday he kept falling harder for her beautiful smile and everything about her. some days he wanted to tell himself to stop, to go back to when there were no feelings and everything was simpler. but some days he told himself to keep falling, because the feeling it gave him was better than the adrenaline racing gave him. today was the latter.

"prongs, what did you wish for?" she asked softly, dragging him out of his thoughts. her words reminded him of their childhood, when she was so clueless about the world around her and she looked at everything in wide-eyed wonder.

"moony, if i told you, it won't come true, and i really want it to come true," he answered, smiling. he knew that she knew his reply, and was only asking for nostalgia's sake. rhea had a strange habit in which she liked recreating small moments from the past, and this was one of them.

he took a hold of her free hand, rubbing comforting circles on her soft skin. his movements calmed the girl, lulling her into a light slumber underneath the canopy of stars. 

hearing her deeper, slower breaths, he realised that the girl, tired from the day, had fallen asleep. he pulled her into a more comfortable position, allowing her to rest her head on his chest. he knew that he'd eventually have to wake her up when they went home, but he couldn't bring himself too when she looked so peaceful like this. _there was no harm in letting her nap, was there?_

pushing away the fiery strands of hair away from her face, he leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of her head.

"night moony, don't let the dementors get to ya."

☾


End file.
